Loom picker



H. M. BACON March 3, 1936.

LOOM PICKER Filed Aug. 14, 1955 Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

LOOM PICKER I Henry Bacon, Warren, Ohio Application August 14, 1935, Serial No. 36,173 7 Claims. (01.139-159) This invention relates to that type of loom pickers built up of sheets of rubberized fabric stuck together in layers while in the uncured state, and then finally shaped and vulcanized under heat and pressure to thus produce a tough, elastic, solid, homogeneous picker body. An example of this type of picker is shown in my former Patent No. 1,851,232, dated March 29, 1932. The object of the present invention is to simplify the method of manufacture and to produce a more homogeneous and durable picker body, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing annexed:

Fig. 1' is a vertical sectional view through a finished picker, showing its position on a pickerstick;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the picker;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the picker;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the manner of starting the formation of the picker;

Fig. 6 shows the next steps in the manufacture of the picker;

Fig. 7 shows additional steps in the making of the picker; and

Fig. 8 shows a sectional view of the picker, complete, before .it is cured.

In the manufacture of my picker, I may proceed substantially as follows:

I employ a core-bar l0, preferably having a length equal to the width of the standard sheet of rubberized fabric, the cross-section shape of this bar being approximately the shape of the picker-stick hole that is to be formed in the final product. I coil one edge of the sheet into a somewhat flat oval-shaped bead or cushion II and place same against the flat edge of the core, as shown in Fig. 5. Then I wind the remainder of the sheet around the core-bar and cushion several times, as shown at l2 in Fig. 6. I then stick to the cushion edge or face l3 of the coiled body thus formed a face block built up of a plurality of layers of rubberized fabric and enclosed in a wrapping I5 of rubberized fabric, this bar-like face block being the same length as the body to which it is stuck. The strips or layers H are tightly pressed together and their lower edges, as well as their opposite fiat faces, are completely covered by the two or more windings l5. The manner in which the face block or strip is stuck to the previously formed body is shown in Fig. 7.

At this point in the building up of the picker, I fill in the longitudinal channels between the face strip and the body by means of beads I6, these beads being each formed of coiled strips of rubberized fabric and being pressed into said channels or spaces. I then wind about the barlike structure thus formed a sheet of rubberized fabric, as shown at H in Fig. 8, several layers of this fabric being employed and all the layers being not only stuck tightly together but to"the fabrics and beads with which they come in contact. This bar-like structure built up of layers of rubberized fabric tightly adhering together is now ready to be cut-into transverse sections of substantially the vertical thickness of the finished picker. After these sections are cut off the bar-like structure, I then place each one in an individual mold having a core shaped exactly to correspond with the transverse configuration and sides of the picker stick at the point where the picker is to be attached, and this mold also is provided with an inwardly extending conicalprojection to form the indention I8 in the face of the picker for engagement with the pointed end of the shuttle. Under the usual heat and pressure, the picker will be not only completely vulcanized into a unitary homogeneous mass, but will be given its final shape, so that upon its removal from the mold it will be ready to be placed upon the picker-stick.

The core in the mold for forming the pickerstick hole will be tapered in order to give to this hole a downwardly flaring shape so as to wedge down properly on the downwardly flaring pickerstick to thus hold the picker in proper place upon the stick with'the help of the usual extraneous fastening devices.

It is desirable that the fiat layers H as well as the wrapper I5 shall be treated with hard-setting rubber and that the other fabrics in the pickershall be treated with a softer rubber composition thanin said'iface block, to thus give to the shockreceiving portion of the picker not only the desired durability and solidarity, but also the desired resilience. It is desirable also that the beads l6 shall be coiled, compressed rubberized fabric, so that upon the complete curing of the picker the spaces that would otherwise be formed between the windings of the face block and the cushion wrappings will be completely filled in such manner that under the influence of heat the filling rubber will not run out of these spaces, thereby avoiding all possibility of wrinkling the outer wrappings l1 and forcing them into the triangular spaces where they would weaken and give way under shuttle impact. The u shion coil I l is very advantageous in that otherwise the windings I2 would be apt to be cut by the square corners at the front side of the picker-stick. Also, the face block construction is very important in that it buries the weak bond of the cut edges deep in the face of the picker, and thus provides maximum strength, especially in view of the fact that the layers M are continuously and completely enveloped as a unit by the vulcanized parallel layers l5.

I claim:

1. A loom picker embodying a flat coil of rubberized fabric positioned at the front side of the picker-stick hole, a plurality of layers of rubberized fabric surrounding three sides of this said coil forming the inner face of the picker-stick hole, a face block made up of rubberized fabric layers enveloped in windings of rubberized fabric and contacting with the face of the aforesaid coil, beads placed in the spaces between said face block and the adjacent fabric layers, and a plurality of rubberized fabric layers wound around the structure as formed, the whole being vulcanized into a unitary body; v

2; A loom picker embodying a cushion-like coil of rubberized fabric positioned'to contact with the front face of the picker-stick, a plurality of layers 'of rubberized fabric contacting with and surrounding three sides of said cushion and forming the hole for the picker-stick, a face block on the front side of said layers, and a plurality of rubberized layers wound around the structure thus built up, the whole being vulcanized to form a unitary, homogeneous picker body.

3. A loom picker embodying inner windings of rubberized fabric forming the walls of a pickerstick hole, a face block attached to the front face of said windings this face blockembodying'a plurality of flat strips of rubberized fabric completely enveloped by a plurality of windings of rubberized fabric, and a plurality of windings of rubberized fabric enveloping the structure thus formed, the whole being vulcanized under heat and pressure to form a unitary picker body.

4. The structure recited in claim 3, said strips of rubberized fabric and their enveloping windings being treated with harder-setting rubber than the other fabrics.

5. A loom picker embodying inner windings of rubberized fabric forming the walls of a pickerstick hole, a face block attached to the front face of said windings, beads of coiled rubberized fabric in the spaces between the face block and the picker-stick windings, and a plurality of windings of rubberized fabric enveloping the structure thus formed, the whole being vulcanized under heat and pressure to form a unitary picker body to cause said beads tocompletely fill said spaces and thus prevent wrinkling of the outer wrappings during vulcanization.

6. The method herein described of making loom pickers consisting in first forming a cushion-like coiled bead by coiling one edge of the rubberized fabric, then continuing the coiling of the fabric to envelop and contact three sides of said cushion and to form apicker-stick hole,-then sticking to the front face of the body thus formed a face block built up of rubberized fabric layers, enveloping the face block and the inner coiledstructure with a plurality of outer windings or layers of rubberized fabric and then finally shaping and vulcanizing the body thus formed to produce a loom picker having a homogeneous and unitary structure.

'7. The method set forth in claim 6, the spaces between the face block and the inner windings being filled with rubberized fabric beads or coils before the outer windings are applied,v for the purpose set forth. 7

HENRY M. BACON. 

